Meandering
by PinkAngel17
Summary: Drabble and ficlet collection with various characters, genres, and occasionally pairings.
1. A Sandwich

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own NCIS:New Orleans.

A/N: So as the summery says, this is going to be where I put random drabbles or ficlets. This one was written immediately after tonight's episode (1x17 ) and is meant to be a 'missing scene' that takes place before Brody takes Pride the sandwich. It's just a little thing with Loretta and Brody.

* * *

Meredith paced from one end of the empty autopsy table to the other with her arms crossed. When having a dilemma about what to do about one of the team she'd gotten into the habit of visiting Loretta. The M.E. knew both Pride and LaSalle pretty well and always had a few words of wisdom to pass on. Today was one of the days where she could use some of those wise words and experience.

"I'm worried about him," she confessed as she continued to pace back and worth. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Loretta smile softly before it faded back into a slightly saddened expression. "I don't know what to do though. LaSalle says we just need to go along with what he says. I'm fine with backing Pride up, but he's not acting like himself."

Loretta sighed and moved closer to the autopsy table, stopping on the opposite side. She placed both hands on the surface and leaned against it for a moment without replying right away. "I've seen Dwayne do this before. He pushes people away, isolates himself..."

"Obsesses," Merri commented knowingly.

"Yes." The M.E. pushed off the table and walked around to stand next to her, putting a stop to the pacing. She leaned back against the table, crossed her arms, and stared a spot on the floor. "I can't really give you all that much advice, Merri. Just be there for him. Make sure he knows that you're there for him, that he can rely on you." Loretta scoffed and glanced sideways at her with a half-smile. "If you're feeling lucky you could try getting him to eat something."

Brody nodded thoughtfully. "I can do that."

"I have no doubt you can," Loretta replied with another warm smile.

"Thanks, Loretta," she said earnestly. She had a pretty good idea what to do now and got the gist of what the M.E. was saying. She just needed to reassure King and get him to open up a bit. And make him eat too. She headed towards the door with a new determination and a new mission.

"Anytime, Merri. Take care of him."

She paused in the doorway and looked back at the M.E., brows furrowed in concern. "You think he'll be alright?"

Loretta tapped her fingers on the autopsy table for a moment, her other hand propped on her hip, as she considered the question. "I think he will. Just as long as his friends stay close."

She nodded lightly in understanding before turning and making her way out of the room. She had a sandwich to make and a friend to look after.


	2. Only Fair

Disclaimer: Still don't own NCIS.

A/N: So this one was inspired by 1x17 as well, but it really doesn't tie in and could be set pretty much anytime. It's very random and could possibly allude to Pride/Brody though it's nothing very definite.

* * *

She was only supposed to have Pride's phone for a minute, but he'd walked off and left it with her. She hadn't meant to open the photo gallery. Her finger had slipped and it really had been an accident when the photos popped up on the phone's screen.

She hadn't been able to look away though.

It was the third photo icon that caught her attention. The rest were pretty normal things like Laurel, Linda, a couple photos of her and LaSalle during a cooking session, one with the three of them during Mardi Gras, one of her and Laurel with ice cream all over their faces, and a few random others that she didn't pay as much attention to. The third one though was surprising.

It was a photo of her, but she didn't remember it being taken. She knew _when _it must have been taken, but wasn't aware at the time that it had been taken. She was asleep in the photo, curled up in the corner of a sofa with her head resting on her arm and the arm of the sofa and her legs tucked under her. Her hair was ruffled a bit and she was obviously fast asleep. If she didn't trust Pride than she would have found it more than a little creepy actually.

She remembered that night. They'd all been forced to stay late at the office to finish off a load of reports after a big case. LaSalle had left before she and Pride had given up for the night and when the two of them had finally called it a night it was late. Neither of them had eaten so Pride had, as usual, volunteered to cook and she had readily accepted the offer. While King had been cooking she'd sat down on the office sofa and had accidentally fallen asleep. Pride had woken her up when the food was ready, but apparently he'd taken a picture first.

She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it. There was something about finding a picture of herself sleeping on someone else's phone that was disconcerting. At the same time it was King. He loved his family and the rest of the photos on the phone proved how much he liked to have reminders of them around.

She smiled lightly at the thought that he'd included her as part of that family. It was still a bit creepy though. There was only one thing to do.

Get even.

She did, after all, know where he slept and she had her own phone. It seemed only fair for her to get a picture of him like he had of her.


	3. Memory

Disclaimer: I still don't own NCIS.

A/N: Just a random little thing. BonesBird gave me a set of prompts and it was meant to be cute, but it didn't end quite as cute as intended. Set sometime before 'Careful What You Wish For' (1x14).

* * *

Brody closed the case file she'd been checking for a report and then dropped it on LaSalle's desk so he could look it over too when he got back from lunch. As she turned to go back to her own desk she caught sight of a picture out of the corner of her eye though. It was just sitting on the corner of his desk, partially hidden under another file, but she could easily distinguish two young boys playing tag. If she had to guess she'd say it was Christopher and his brother.

She smiled down at the photo while a memory of another game a tag, one with her own sister, flashed through her mind...

_"You can't catch me, Merri!"_

_Meredith ran faster through the park as she tried to catch up with her sister. She skidded around an elderly couple who were walking by and pushed her legs to go faster. "I'm gonna get you, Emmy!" _

_Emily looked over her shoulder at her and stuck out her tongue. "No you're not!"_

_She glared, the expression only making her twin laugh more, and kept running. She was getting closer and closer...just a little bit more..._

_A triumphant gleam shined in her eyes when she was almost close enough to lunge. At the same time Emily looked over her shoulder again, but when her sister looked where she was going she abruptly stopped to keep from running into a tree._

_Merri was too close and going too fast to stop on time though. With widening eyes she tried to stop, but wound up running into Emily anyway. The impact threw them both off balance and they tumbled to the ground. Merri didn't realize they were at an incline though and when her hip landed in a small puddle of mud she suddenly felt herself rolling down the hill. _

_"Merri!" _

_She heard her sister yelling her name, but was too busy rolling down the hill to look. When she finally came to a stop at the bottom she pushed herself up onto her hands and shook her head as the world finally stopped spinning. Almost instantly Emily plopped down onto the ground next to her with wide eyes. _

_"Are you okay, Merri?"_

_Merri looked up and grinned. "That was great! You should try it, Em! Come on, we'll go together," she said while standing and pulling her sister up as well. She took Emily's hand and started to go back up the hill, but as soon as she took a step a stinging pain shot through her knee. "Ouch!"_

_She let go of Emily's hand and looked down at her knee. It was scraped up pretty bad and had grass stuck to bits of blood. It really, really hurt too. _

_"You're hurt!" Emily pointed out. "Does it hurt a lot?"_

_Merri shrugged and poked the raw skin. "Kinda."_

_Emily reached over and grabbed her hand before starting to drag her up the hill. "Come on. We'll find mom and dad and they can fix you."_

_"It's just a scratch and they're busy," she said, trying not to sound too disappointed. _

_Emily seemed to think about it for a second before shrugging. "I'll just fix it than."_

"See anything good?"

Brody quickly looked up from the photo as Pride walked into the office with a fresh cup of coffee. She hadn't been poking into LaSalle's personal things, she reminded herself as she caught herself from apologizing. "I just noticed a picture on LaSalle's desk."

"His brother?" King asked as he took a seat behind his desk.

"You've seen it?"

He took a sip of his coffee before answering. "Nope, but if there was going to be a picture on Christopher's desk it'd be one of his brother. He's been thinking about him a lot lately."

Merri nodded and subtly glanced down at the photo again. The two young boys in the photo were having a lot of fun and she thought it was pretty obvious they were close. "Yeah."

Pride studied her for a moment before voicing his thoughts. "Remind you of your sister?" he asked softly.

It wasn't often that she talked about Emily. The memories were just too painful still. Pride had read her file though and she'd briefly discussed the _Moultrie_ incident with him right after joining the team, so he knew of her sister and what had happened.

She forced herself to smile and tried not to look too disturbed by the mention of Emily. "Yeah," she answered as her mind once again flashed back to the memory of when they'd been eight years old and playing tag in the park.

"A good memory I hope."

She glanced down at the photo before nodding. "It is," she replied softly as her thoughts drifted to the past again.

_"Ouch!"_

_Emily rolled her eyes as she put the ice pack back on her knee. "Don't be such a baby."_

_"It hurts," Merri said with a glare. "It could be infected for all you know. I could have my leg chopped off." It was a little dramatic she knew, but she felt like being dramatic. She __**had**__ just slid down a hill and hurt her knee._

_"You'll be okay." Emily lifted the ice pack and peaked underneath to take a look. "You're not allowed to die unless I say so."_

_"You're not allowed to either," she pointed out. "But it didn't stop you from falling into a half-frozen lake last Christmas!"_

She had though, Brody thought to herself as she pulled herself from the memory. Emily had died without a goodbye and left her without her best friend. Without family she could completely count on. The thought was enough to make her chest constrict painfully.

Merri forced the memory and related thoughts away as her smile faltered. Sometimes, on a rare occasion, she'd forget how much she missed Emily. It always hit her again though and when it did she could only push the heartache away and try to ignore the memories.

It was just another day, after all.

Another day without her sister around to help heal her wounds or drag her back up a hill.


	4. Being Cautious

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own NCIS.

A/N: This is set during 'The List', before Brody and James have drinks. It's just a short little thing with a little bit of 'what if' in it for their background.

* * *

_'You look good'_

She scoffed at the memory of her talk with James. Of course she looked good. At least compared to how she had looked the last time they'd seen each other. She's been bruised and pale and had two tons worth of bags under her eyes from sporadic, nightmare infused sleep.

He'd been offered a job in Afghanistan, a good job at that. She wouldn't have wanted him to turn down that kind of opportunity, not when she herself had always been a workaholic, but that was under normal circumstances. The circumstances at the time hadn't been 'normal'.

She'd been held by a small, homegrown terrorist group for almost a week. They'd just wanted to use her as a hostage, but that hadn't stopped them from knocking her around. One of her captors had even had a ..._special_ interest in her and it had been mostly luck that had stopped him from doing anything.

The lingering physical damage had been bad enough though and the nightmares hadn't been pleasant either. It hadn't been anything she hadn't faced before and nothing she hadn't been able to handle. It had been nice to have James there for her to lean on though. The wedding planning and house searching had given her something to focus on while on medical leave. It had given her a future to look forward to.

James had been there when she woke up from a nightmare or when her ribs hurt too much to get out of bed. Then suddenly he hadn't been there. He hadn't discussed it with her, had barely even given her notice that he was leaving, and had seemed to think it was okay.

She'd told LaSalle that James had been married to his job. That was the truest thing she could have said about James. She couldn't really blame him for that and maybe any other time she wouldn't have, but the timing had been bad. Maybe she should be thankful though. At least she knew without a doubt where his priorities would have been if they'd gotten married.

_'And you're not_?' LaSalle had said when she'd told him the reason she and James were no longer a couple.

Merri couldn't deny that she was, but she liked to think she would have been there for James if he had needed her. It was a complicated situation, more complicated than Christopher knew, but he'd had a point all the same. She couldn't stay mad at James or keep pretending she was past it either. That didn't mean she had to accept him back into her life without precautions though.

Being cautious with relationships was something she'd become all too good at in fact.


	5. Staring Contest

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own NCIS: New Orleans.

A/N: Just another little random thing featuring Sebastian and Patton. No pairings in this one. I have a chapter fic (and a couple other things) ready to post, but since I won't be able to update for a few days I figured I'd wait to start that. In the meantime here's this.

* * *

"Give it up, Sebastian. You're not winning this," Patton said.

"I happen to have an above average level of eyelid control."

"Above average level of eyelid control?" Brody repeated incredulously. She glanced over at LaSalle as he tossed a kernel of popcorn into the air and into his mouth. "Is he serious? He's serious, isn't he?" Over the months since joining the New Orleans she'd come to expect odd and the most unexpected things imaginable from Sebastian. Just a week before he'd offered her Klingon gagh made out of things she hadn't even known really existed.

"Oh he's serious," LaSalle replied.

He held out the popcorn so she could have some, but she shook her head. "No thanks." She went back to watching the staring contest going on between Patton and Sebastian and crossed her arms. "How long will they keep this up?"

"Until one of them blinks."

"I understand the concept of the game," she said dryly with a roll of her eyes. "This is the third round though."

LaSalle shrugged and tossed some more popcorn into his mouth. "They'll give up for the day eventually."

"Eventually," she muttered. "It's a good thing we don't have an active case right now."

"Eyes getting tired?" Patton asked with a smirk.

Sebastian's blank expression didn't falter. "Nope. Yours?"

"Not a chance."

"Loretta would take care of them if we did," Christopher commented, ignoring the two's brief conversation. "Sure you don't want some popcorn?"

"Positive." She watched the staring contest for another few seconds before lowering her voice and leaning closer so only LaSalle would hear. "Have you ever considered just dropping something or making a loud noise to make them blink? Just to see what happens?"

LaSalle laughed and grinned at the question. "You're an evil person, Agent Brody. And yes, I have."

"Have what?"

Brody glanced over her shoulder as Pride stepped up behind them. "Made a loud noise to distract Patton and Sebastian during one of their staring contests."

"Oh yeah," Pride said with a nod. "You mean like this." He picked up a thick binder on a nearby table and promptly dropped it onto the floor, making a loud '_bang_' echo through the lab.

Both Patton and Sebastian jumped slightly, just enough to cause both of them to blink reflexively as they turned their heads to locate the noise.

"Really? Again?" Patton asked in irritation.

"I won that round," Sebastian stated. "I blinked last."

Patton scoffed. "No you did not."

"Yes I did."

"No, you didn't."

"I think I know when I blinked."

"So do I! I was staring at you!"

"Your eyes were closed!"

"No they weren't!"

"We better get out of here," Pride said while grabbing a handful of popcorn from LaSalle. "They'll be at it for a while."

"Just when it was getting good," she said with a chuckle while following Pride out of the lab. LaSalle followed as well after one last look at the still arguing men in the lab.


	6. Distraction

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own NCIS: New Orleans.

A/N: I have many, many fics and oneshots to post. Some are from last season even. I was convinced that I need to actually get back to posting them, so here's a tiny little thing. This one I wrote more recently compared to the chapter fics I have laying around. It's Brody/James and, like all the other chapters of this collection, is just a small oneshot. Hope you enjoy! I'll try to post more often too. Thanks for reading!

* * *

When something went wrong, Merri use to go to Emily. Either seeing her in person or talking on the phone, it would help. Emily would do the same. They could complain to each other, rant to each other, talk about things they wouldn't even consider talking about with anyone else. It was how they worked. A sister thing. A twin thing.

There had only been two people in her life she was ever so open with. Emily and James. Ever since Emily's death she'd been more guarded though. For the first time in her life she had felt truly alone, as if she no longer had anyone to support her or listen to her problems.

When she had moved to New Orleans she'd found something different than what she was used to though. Eventually the family-like team had pulled her out of her guarded state bit-by-bit and suddenly she found herself slipping into the family unit.

They weren't Emily, they couldn't take that sacred place in her heart, but they were something important to her all the same. LaSalle didn't have Emily's type of humor, but he could still make her roll her eyes and laugh. Pride didn't have her sister's big heart, but he could still make her feel like there were people who honestly cared about her. Percy didn't have Emily's eyes or smile, but she knew how to share an inside joke almost as well. Loretta was wise enough to understand the missing piece Brody felt and compassionate enough to offer a warm hug and smile.

They weren't Emily, but they were probably the next best thing.

She hoped that Emily would approve and a part of her knew she would have. Merri was almost proud of the new family she'd managed to find. Proud that she'd managed to stay strong through it all. She still missed her sister, still felt that empty hole in her chest, but the pain had made her tougher. More resilient.

"I leave in the morning, you know."

Merri smiled as a pair of arms slid around her waist from behind. James' chin came to rest on her shoulder a second later before a warm kiss was placed on her neck. "You've mentioned that," she replied.

James reached up and took the coffee cup from her hands. He took a long sip before placing it on the shelf in front of them. She decided to ignore how good it felt when he went back to holding her close. "We could be making better use of our time, MB," he murmured. The fact he was only wearing a pair of boxers and pressed so close left little doubt of what he meant.

Brody didn't take her eyes off the framed photo of Emily on the shelf though. "Her birthday is next week."

James held her a little tighter. "So is yours."

"That's usually how twin things work," she replied sarcastically.

"Usually." A few seconds of silence passed before James spoke again. "Doesn't seem to be how it works for you though."

Brody started to turn her head to look at him, but he kissed her cheek and stopped any further movement. He hadn't completely distracted her though. Not by a long shot. "What is that supposed to mean?"

James shrugged. "You haven't celebrated your birthday since she died," he answered. "You act as if it was only her birthday. Like you weren't even there."

"It's just...It's just a hard day." She had to force herself to admit it and the words left the voice in her head screaming at her to put her barriers up again. Another voice, sounding suspiciously like Emily, told her to get over it.

"Ever think that maybe it doesn't have to be?"

"I can't just get thoughts of Emily out of my head, James."

"I didn't say you should try."

Merri wasn't sure if she was more annoyed at James or the world in general. "What do you suggest then?" She didn't bother trying to keep the slightly defensive edge out of her tone. He was probably used to it.

She felt James shrug again as his began moving his hands up and down her sides. "We'll figure something out."

Brody frowned at his choice of wording, her suspicions rising. "We?"

As James began nuzzling her neck she could feel him smirking against her skin. "Yep."

"Going to elaborate on how you plan to be in two places at once? You leave in the morning," she reminded him.

"I took an extra week off," he answered simply.

Brody froze, her confusion increasing as well as her shock. James had never taken more time off than was absolutely necessary. They were alike in that regard. Both far too focused on their jobs to take more than a week off at a time. She'd been surprised when he had shown up this week.

Then it dawned on her that he had only now told her.

She turned around, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. "You did, did you?"

"Couldn't stand to see you pout," he said, his smirk widening.

"And you think your presence will suddenly make everything right with the world?"

A familiar, mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. One she'd seen enough to recognize instantly. "I have it on good authority that I'm pretty spectacular at making Meredith Brody forget her problems," he said, using his 'journalist' voice. "For a few hours at a time at least."

She leaned closer, stopping just inches from his lips and then moving her lips to his ear. "I think that rumor needs more substantial evidence to back it up." With that she kissed his neck and then slid out of his arms. A smirk spread over her face as she headed towards her bedroom, not bothering to look back.

"Challenge accepted, Agent Brody," she heard called after her.

She only smirked a little more in response.


	7. Wake Up Call

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own NCIS.

A/N: So I received a request for a Pride/Borin fic. This might not be exactly what the person had in mind, but I couldn't seem to write them as a pairing. So this is more of a friendship oneshot. Set in season two, which will probably be obvious.

* * *

It was the first time in almost a month that Dwayne Pride was free to sleep for as long as he wanted. A full eight hours. It had seemed a beautiful prospect the night before, just before he'd collapsed in bed. A full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. It would have been nice.

If only.

The upbeat tempo of a cellphone jazz tune suddenly ripped through his sleep, pulling him from a dream that was now fading away from him like an oasis in the desert. King forced his eyes open and stared up at the ceiling for a moment as he tried to wrap his mind around what the infernal noise was. Once he realized it was his phone he sighed and reached over, not bothering to look over at his nightstand.

His hand found the cell almost instantly. As he brought the phone to his ear he was already preparing himself for it to be Brody or LaSalle reporting a new case that needed his immediate attention. "Pride," he said greeting.

"_You sound like you're still asleep, Dwayne_."

King's brow creased at the unexpected voice. "Borin?" He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. He should have known. That particular ringtone was _her_ ringtone. Thanks to LaSalle, at any rate. Christopher had changed the ringtone just before Borin had left the last time and he'd just never changed it back. Sometimes he wondered how much she had paid Chris to do it.

He pulled the phone away from his ear just long enough to confirm his guess about the time. It was early morning alright. Five in the morning to be exact. "What's wrong?" he asked, going on alert. It seemed too early for this to be a pleasant conversation about the weather.

"_Relax, Pride_." There was a hint of amusement in her tone and Pride imaged her smirking at his sudden apprehension. "_No state of emergency or anything. I just wanted to remind you about having those case reports emailed to me_."

For a moment he wondered if he was still asleep. Had his calm dream twisted into this strange one? "You're calling me at five in the morning to remind me about something that you could have waited a few more hours about? Seriously, Abigail?"

"_Oh, right. Time difference. Sorry about that_."

She wasn't sorry. Not at all. And he highly doubted she'd forgotten about a time difference. "Where are you?"

"_Portsmouth_."

"Portsmouth?"

"_England_."

"I know where it is," he replied.

"_Well someone's grumpy_."

"It's five in the morning. On my day off," he reminded her. "How long have you been in England?" The last he'd heard she'd been heading to D.C. for a permanent posting.

"_About a week. Long story. I'm waiting at the docks for a ride to the airport. I'll be headed back soon_."

He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "And you what? Got bored?"

"_Pretty much_," she answered. "_If it makes you feel better I tried calling Gibbs first_."

"Uh huh," he responded nonchalantly. "He hang up on you?"

"_I got two minutes in_."

Pride chuckled. He knew Leroy Jethro Gibbs well enough to know the man wouldn't have put up with Borin before his morning coffee if she didn't have a good reason for calling. And being bored wasn't a good reason to Gibbs. Especially not before coffee. "I'm impressed you got him to stay on the line that long."

"_So was I honestly_." She paused for a brief second before continuing. "_Look, Pride, if you want to go back to sleep go ahead. My ride should be here any minute_."

The amusement was almost entirely gone from her voice now, and though she did a pretty good job hiding it, King didn't miss the tiredness lacing the words. She sounded exhausted and a little down even. His curiosity about what she'd been up to was once again piqued, but he had a feeling that was a conversation for another day and not over the telephone.

"Don't worry about it." Any annoyance he'd been feeling was suddenly gone. She was his friend and his friend needed an ear to listen to her. Or at least needed someone to help keep her awake while she waited. "So you heading back to D.C. soon? You could stop by New Orleans on your way..."

"_It'd be a little out of my way, but I'll see what I can do_," she said with a chuckle. "_You better make it worth my while if I do_."

"You can count on it."

Silence lapsed for moment. A comfortable silence that almost lulled him back to sleep. Borin spoke again before he could doze off though. "_I heard the divorce was official_."

"Yep," he said, confirming whatever rumor she'd heard.

"_Sorry, Pride_."

"Yeah." He wasn't sure what else to say. Everyone was sorry for him. Sorry that he and Linda couldn't work things out. Sorry that Laurel would have to deal with her parents being split. Sorry for the pain he was feeling over the breakup. He was sorry too, but the remorse and guilt was getting better. He had accepted the situation and was making the most of it. There wasn't much else hecould do. "I bought a bar."

The sound of another chuckle carried over the line, making him smirk lightly. "_Of course you did. Somehow I'm not surprised._"

"You'll have to come see it soon. It's not open yet, but it will be," he added.

"_It's a broken down piece of garbage, isn't it? You bought a hole in the wall, didn't you?"_

"It has a lot of inner beauty and whole lot of potential. Just wait. You'll see."

"_I look forward to it_." Another laugh followed before the sound of someone in the distance with a thick British accent met his ears. He heard Borin's muffled voice say something in return before she spoke to him again. "_Looks like I'm about to catch my ride. I'll call you later_."

"Hopefully not so early next time."

"_We'll see. Better get that bar up and running so you can buy me a drink, Dwayne_."

"You can count on it." He smiled softly. "See you later, Abigail."

"_Count on it_."

With that she ended the call and Pride tossed the phone onto the bed next to him. Pretty good start to the day, he figured. It could have been worse at least.

He could have lived with it being a few hours later though.


End file.
